Compounds such as 4-lower alkyl- or 4-phenyl-substituted phenyl lower alkyl ketones, e.g. 4-methylacetophenone (4-MAP) are possible intermediates for a variety of products having different end uses. Thus 4-MAP may be converted into para-cresol (4-methyl phenol) by first reacting the 4-MAP to form the monoacetate ester of para-cresol using a "Baeyer-Villiger" oxidation as disclosed, for example in application Ser. No. 661,552, filed Oct. 17, 1984 and the references cited therein, and then converting the monoacetate ester to para-cresol by hydrolysis, e.g. as disclosed in the previously cited application Ser. No. 661,552, or by transesterification as disclosed in Ser. No. 689,533, filed Jan. 7, 1985 and the references cited therein. The 4-MAP can also be convered into 4-hydroxybenzoic acid (4-HBA) by obtaining the monoacetate ester of para-cresol by the Baeyer-Villiger oxidation as described, oxidizing the methyl group by conventional means to form the corresponding acetate ester of 4-HBA and hydrolyzing the latter compound as described to obtain the 4-HBA.
Simons et al, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 61, 1795 and 1796 (1939) teach the acylation of aromatic compounds using hydrogen fluoride as a condensing agent and in Table 1 on page 1796 show the acetylation of toluene with acetic acid to produce p-methylacetophenone (4-MAP).
Various zeolites and zeolites-type materials are known in the art for the catalysis of chemical reactions. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,702,886, of Argauer, discloses a class of synthetic zeolites, characterized as "Zeolite ZSM-5", which are effective for the catalysis of various hydrocarbon conversion processes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,724 of Grose et al disclose various synthetic crystalline silica polymorphs or "silicalites" which are stated to be useful in selectively adsorbing organic materials from water.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,919 of Klotz et al disclose certain crystalline borosilicates, i.e. "AMS-1B" borosilicates which are stated to be useful as catalysts for various hydrocarbon conversion processes.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,354,221 of Landis et al disclose the use of various crystalline aluminosilicate zeolites as catalysts for the Fries rearrangement of phenolic esters to hydroxy aromatic ketones.
Applicant's pending application Ser. No. 803,194, filed Dec. 2, 1985, teaches the use of ZSM-5 zeolites as catalysts for the reaction of phenol and a lower alkanoic acid, e.g. acetic acid, to form 2-hydroxyphenyl lower alkyl ketone such as 2-hydroxyacetophenone.
Pending application Ser. No. 803,195, filed Dec. 2, 1985 by Nicolau et al, teaches the use of silicalites as catalysts for reactions similar to those disclosed in application Ser. No. 803,194 described in the preceding paragraph.